Safety In the Science Lab
Rules and Symbols
Safety First
• Science is a hands-on laboratory class.
• You will be doing many laboratory activities, which
require the use of hazardous chemicals and expensive lab equipment.
• Safety in the science classroom is the #1 priority.
• To ensure a safe science classroom, a list of rules has been developed and provided to you in your student safety contract.
• These rules must be followed at all times.
General Safety Guidelines
• Be Responsible at All Times. No
horseplay, practical jokes, pranks, etc.
• Follow all instructions carefully.
• Do not play with lab equipment until instructed to do so.
• Food, drink, and gum are not allowed in the science classroom.
General Safety Guidelines
• Keep the science room clean and organized.
Lab Safety: Everyone Is Responsible!
• Notify the teacher immediately of any accidents or unsafe conditions in the science classroom!
• Wear safety goggles when working with chemicals, flames, or heating devices.
• If a chemical gets in your eye, flush in water for 15 minutes and notify the teacher.
Safety Symbols
Eye ProtectionSharp Objects
• When using knifes or other sharp objects always walk with the points facing down.
• Cut away from fingers and body.
Electrical Safety
• Do not place a cord where someone can trip over it.
• Never use electricity around water.
Safety Symbols
Animal Safety• Only handle living organisms with teacher permission.
• Always treat living organisms humanely.
• Wash your hands after handling animals.
Heating Safety
• Tie back hair and loose clothes when working with open flames.
• Never look into a container as you are heating it.
• Heated metal and glass looks cool, use tongs or gloves before handling.
Safety Symbols
Chemical Safety• Read all labels twice before removing a chemical from the container.
• Never touch, taste, or smell a chemical unless instructed by the teacher.
• Transfer chemicals carefully!
Hand Safety
• If a chemical spills on your skin, notify the teacher and rinse with water for 15 minutes.
• Carry glassware carefully.
Plant Safety
• Do not eat any plants in lab.
Safety Equipment
• Fire Blanket – Located in back of classroom in the red container
• Fire Extinguisher – Located in outside classroom door and in the computer lab
To operate the fire extinguisher remember P-A-S-S P- Pull the Pin
A-Aim the hose at the base of the fire from 5-6 feet away.
S-Squeeze the handle.
Glassware Safety
1. Chipped or cracked glassware should not be used. Show it to the teacher.
2. Broken glassware should not be disposed of in a classroom
There is a special glass disposal container for it.
Glassware Safety
4. Pour down a glass stirring rod to prevent liquids from splattering.
5. If a piece of glassware gets broken, do not try to clean it up by yourself. Notify the teacher.
Glassware Safety
Chemical Safety
1. Wear protective goggles and a lab apron whenever heating or pouring hazardous chemicals.
Chemical Safety
4. If you need to smell the odor of a chemical, waft the fumes
toward your nose with one hand. Do not put your nose over the
container and inhale the fumes. 5. Never pour water into a
concentrated acid.
Chemical Safety
6. Follow the instructions of your teacher when disposing of all chemicals.
Electrical Safety
1. Lay electrical cords where no one can trip on them or get caught in them.
2. Be sure your hands and your lab area are dry before using
electrical equipment.
3. Never poke anything into
Electrical Safety
4.Unplug cords by pulling the plug
and not the cord.
Heating Safety
1. Let burners and hotplates cool
down before touching them. Test to see if they are cool enough by bringing the back of your hand close to them.
2. Use tongs and/or protective gloves
to handle hot objects.
3. Never reach across an open flame
Heating Safety
4. The only type of glassware that may safely be heated is either Kimax or Pyrex. 5. Always point the top ends of test tubes
that are being heated away from people. 6. When heating a test tube, move it around
Heating Safety
7. Only glassware that is thoroughly
dry should be heated.
8. Heat glassware by placing it on a wire gauze platform on a ring
First Aid
Injury: Burns
First Aid
Injury: Cuts, bruises
What To Do: Do not touch an open wound without safety gloves.
Pressing directly on minor
cuts will stop bleeding in a
few minutes. Apply cold compress to bruises to
First Aid
Injury: Fainting
First Aid
Injury: Eyes
What To Do: Flush eyes immediately with plenty of water
for several minutes. If a foreign object is
First Aid
Injury: Poisoning
First Aid
Injury: Spills on the skin
What To Do: Flush with large
quantities of water. For acid spills, apply baking soda
solution.
First Aid
Injury: Electrical shock
What To Do: Shut off the current at the source.
What’s Wrong With This
What’s Wrong With This
What’s Wrong With This
What’s Wrong With These
Statements?
• Dodi says that his teacher is solely responsible for preventing laboratory accidents.
• Keshia started the lab activity before reading it through completely.
• Azka decided to do a lab activity that he read about in a library book before the teacher came into the classroom.
• Nayla says that the safety goggles mess up her hair and give her raccoon eyes. She refuses to wear them.
• Rani and Rina accidentally break a beaker full of some chemical. Instead of risking getting in trouble they
What To Do In An Emergency
If there is a fire or fire alarm
• Quietly get up and push in your chair.
• Walk toward the outside classroom door.
• Walk to the basketball court.
• Quickly line up in alphabetical order by last name.
• Remain in line until the drill is over.
• Remain silent throughout the entire alarm so that all people can hear important directions.